St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1887-11-04
LONDON SMELLS.
Where They Go to Have Their
Pictures Taken.

At all hours of the day, says the New
York Times, crowd can be seen on
Broadway in front of shop where the
photographs of actors, actresses and
professional beauties are displayed IN
the window and for sale inside. Cora
Potter is there in some of the new
gowns with which she is going to dazzle
New York soon: Mrs. Langtry poses in
various gowns and attitudes; Kyrle
Bellew smiles from paper upon his juv
emile female admirers, and, led by the
Princess of Wales, there is row OF the
most famous London beautieS-Lady
Randolph Churchill, Lady Londonderry,
and most beautiful of all, the fail, naughty
Countess of Kildare, whose unconscious
aristocratic inSOlence is something that
fills the beholder with admiration. The
man who takes most of these pictures is
Mendlessohn, London's swell photog-
rapher, who has his studio at South
KensingtOn. They are not photograph
galleries any longer. but studios, and
the man who takes the picture is the
artist. Mendelssohn really deserves
the name, for his quick eye for effect,
his skill in posing the subjects, and the
exquisite finish and truthfulness place
him far above many portraltapainterS.
His charges are enormous, and engage
mentS have to be made months ahead,
but the result is very satisfactory. In
the first place, there is no climbing of
stairs to mount above a shop on bust
ness street as there is here. One
drives to handsome private house. A
gorgeous and cOndescending young
Buttons opens the door. No less gOr-
geouS, and even more condeScending. is
the young woman in charge of the re-
ceptiOn room. which is furnished after
designs by William MOrriSs. This young
person shows the influence of artistic
environment, and wears long. gObelin-
blue gown of soft cashmere, with pulled
sleeves and a silver chain about her
waist, her blonde hair fluffed about her
eyes, and sort of Florentine 18th CEN
tury Tilt when she speaks. There is still
another anteroom TO wait in before one
can get speech with the artist; it is fur
niShed i'll Louis Seize fashion, and here
finally powdered fOOtman announces
that Mr.. MendelssOhn will see you. He
comes at last. laughter and more con-
descending than any of his naughty
household, he makes an engage
ment with EyOu, and tells you
what sort OF gown you should
wear when you come to sit. or, if
this is the fultillment Of an engagement,
he leads the way through a cOnserva-
tory, and finally into the studio. He
does not like seated women; he almost
invariably poses them standing. Ger
tainly," he says, "a wOman's form is as
much part of her beauty as her face.
Why should the best effect of it be lost
by doubling her up?" He makes them
stand against wall or curtain. with
their heads well up, and even if they
are not tall and slim he generally sue
ceeds in making them look so. He
doesn't like bOnnets either, and rarely
takes woman in one. He insists upon
some simple arrangement of the hair
and very few jewels. After the sitting is
over, one finds little dressing room,
fitted with every feminine luxury, and
maid in attendance. Then back you
go through all the rooms again and re-
pose in blessed confidence that in the
due course of time you will have pic
ture of which your friends will not be
obliged to say ''Of course you know this
doesn't do her justice; she is ever so
much prettier than this